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Winter Letter from Superintendent Manuel

January 2017

Dear Parents/Guardians, Staff, and Community Members:

I hope you enjoyed the holidays and that your new year is filled with happiness and success. The schools are back in full swing after the break. The Maine Rural Water Association, Maine Water Utilities Association, and the Maine Public Drinking Water Commission have joined forces on a project to encourage all schools to voluntarily test their drinking water for the presence of lead. The district will be collecting water samples this month. We will communicate the results and keep you informed if any corrective measures are required.

I am pleased to report that Morse High School was only one of two schools in Maine to be recognized as an Advanced Placement Honor Roll school in the College Board 6th Annual Report. This Honor Roll consists of the 425 school districts in the U.S. and Canada that simultaneously achieved increases in access to Advance Placement courses for a broader number of students and also maintained or improved the rate at which their AP students earned scores of 3 or higher on an AP exam. In addition to this recognition, we also had numerous students receive AP Scholar awards.

Bath Middle School has been named the 2016 Maine Environmental Education Association School of the Year! The MEEA recognized the staff of Bath Middle School for their commitment to engaging students in the environment as they create authentic learning opportunities. BMS is being recognized for their work over all grade levels, and for partnerships in several areas. A large part of the recognition is due to the progression of outdoor and environmental activities BMS offers students; a 6th grade science camp in partnership with Chewonki, the 7th grade overnight trip to the Ferry Beach Ecology School, and the 8th grade FLOW program with Chewonki. Also of great importance is the dedication to community based environmental work in partnership with the Kennebec Estuary Land Trust. As part of the Expeditionary Learning approach, students work in the community to chart sea level rise on the Bath waterfront, and have spent the last few years as part of an invasive species study on green crabs.

We continue to make significant progress on the new Morse High School/Technical Center. Currently, architects and district representatives are meeting with our communities to provide information about the site, Wing Farm Parkway. We are optimistic that we will have a straw poll vote soon for site approval. Meanwhile, our committees comprised of staff and community members are meeting on a regular basis to begin to design the building and discuss sustainability. Please visit www.rsu1.org for more information.

Thank you for your continued support of our schools. Please feel free to contact me with your ideas or concerns.